Home for CM, Finance for Sankaranarayanan

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 26. Mr. K. Sankaranarayanan is the new Minister for Finance and Excise. The Chief Minister, Mr. A. K. Antony, retains Home while Prof. K. V. Thomas gets Fisheries and Tourism.

As per the allocation of portfolios made by the Governor this evening on the basis of the recommendation made by the Chief Minister, Mr. Kadavoor Sivadasan will be in charge of Electricity. Mr. G. Karthikeyan gets Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Protection, Cultural Affairs and Devaswoms.

Forests and Wildlife, Sports and Posts and Telegraph have been allotted to Mr. K. Sudhakaran. Mr. M. M. Hassan will be in charge of Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Public Relations, Welfare of Minorities, Non-resident Keralites Affairs Department and the Kerala State Film Development Corporation.

Dr. M.A. Kuttappan will handle Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, Youth Affairs, Printing and Stationery. Mr. P. Sankaran will be in charge of Health, Family Welfare, Medical Education, Indigenous Medicines, Drugs Control, Pollution Control, Homeopathy and Naturopathy. All the above Ministers belong to the Congress.

The Muslim League Ministers, Mr. Nalakath Soopy, Mr. Cherkalam Abdulla and Dr. M.K. Muneer have been allocated Education, Panchayats and Public Works respectively. Mr. C.F. Thomas (Kerala Congress-M) is in charge of Registration, Rural Development, Khadi and Village Industries.

The portfolios retained by the Chief Minister are the following: General Administration, All India Services, Integration, Planning and Economic affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, Scientific Institutes, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Elections, Home and Vigilance, Administration of Civil and Criminal Justice, Fire Services, Jails, Sainik Welfare, Distress Relief, State Hospitality, Airports, Inter-State River Waters and subjects not allocated to others.

Apart from Finance and Excise, Mr. Sankaranarayanan will be in charge of National Savings, Stores Purchase, Commercial Taxes, Agricultural Income Tax, Treasuries, Lotteries, Local Fund Audit, Financial Enterprises, State Insurance, Stamps and Stamp duties.

The Industries Minister, Mr. K. Kunhalikutty, will be in charge of Information Technology also. He will also handle Commerce, Mining and Geology, Handlooms and Textiles, Social Welfare and Wakf and Haj Pilgrimage.

Mr. Nalakath Soopy is in charge of General Education, Collegiate Education, Technical Education, Universities except Agriculture University, Entrance Examinations, Literacy Movement and National Cadet Corps.

Mr. Cherkalam Abdulla has been allocated Municipalities and Corporations, Town Planning, Regional Development Authorities and Kerala Institute of Local Administration besides Panchayats.

Mr. K. M. Mani retains Land Revenue, Land Reforms, Survey and Land Records, Legal Metrology, Law and Housing. The portfolios of other Ministers, announced earlier, remain unchanged.

Suspense continued over the allocation of portfolios of the new Ministers even hours after the swearing-in of the new Ministers today. The Chief Minister, Mr. A.K. Antony, did not spell out a time frame for the announcement of the portfolios of the Ministers when he met the Press after the Cabinet meeting that followed the swearing-in. However, the notification came in the evening.

The Chief Minister told reporters that the Cabinet would meet for a full day on May 30. The fore-noon portion of the meeting would be devoted to a discussion of the financial problems of the State.

Mr. Antony said that the new Assembly would meet on June 5 and 6 for the swearing-in of the members and the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. The swearing-in would take place on June 5. Mr. K. Narayana Kurup (Kerala Congress-M) would be the pro tem Speaker. The election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker would take place on June 6.

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Section  : Southern States
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